Letter to Sarah Garibaldi (Poor)

Scope and content:

Letter regards the Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia.

Language:

English

Other descriptive data:

May 9, 1863

Dear Wife:
I take this blessed oppurtunity to drop you these few lines in order to let you know that I am well at present and hope that when these few lines will come to hands they may find you enjoying the same blessing. I have written you a letter the last day of April with a pencil because I had no other way to write it and I hope that you have received it and will write to me every time you get chance.

Dear I must tell you that we have been engaged in a hot battle since I last wrote to you and with the help of God I came out safe but out of about forty of our company that went in to the fight last Sunday there was only about thirty came out safe.

Dear I must tell you that Lee A.B. Terry got wounded in wrist. There was six hundred and fifty odd killed out of our brigade and wounded. Our brigade went into battle twice, and the second time charged over the yankee brest works and ran the yankees away from there. Men fell on both side of me and if it had not been that God was with me I believe I'd fell too. I saw a man at my left hand who was shot in the face and when he fell he grabbed me by the legs and I got loose from him by jurking away from him. I expect he wanted me to help him out of the battle field but it was against my order to do it because there was men detailed for that purpose. In that fight I got me a portfolio full of writing paper and envelops which I needed badly and an oil cloth coat, our boys are now well supplied of oil cloths.

We got in the rear of the yankees saturday and we were fighting nearly all night saturday and all Sunday. We got thirty pieces of artillery. I can't tell you how many small arms but we have got any number of them. There was yankee knapsacks enough left on the ground to supply our whole army. The blankets were laying there in piles and were trampelled over by our men in the mudd. I never saw so much waste of property in my life. The enemy was laying behind their breastworks sunday morning with their knapsacks off and blankets and when they saw us coming they ran away leaving every thing behind them.

We are now encamped in the wood here close to Fredericksburg but we don't know how long we shall remain here. It is believed by good many that we shall have another battle before long, but I hope that we shall have some rest now for a while for we have been laying out in battlefields and without tents for nearly ten days and during that time we haven't had a whole night of sleep and been laying all the time under arms. The enemy is now across the river and I don't know how long he shall remain there.

I have giving you some account of the sunday battle but I expect you shall have heard of it before this [letter] will come to hands and perhaps you shall have heard some fuller accounts than I have given you because them around the battle field not actually ingaged generally knows more about the battle than them that were engaged in it. If my head was right for wrighting you some thing about the battle I might perhaps tell you something more but as I don't [feel] enclined on account of their being such noise in it as I heard in the battle field. But if as soon as I get chance I shall write you again and tell you something more about the battle.

Dear I must tell you that {I saw}George Poor before and after the battle and he was well and he came out safe of the battle, and he sends you all his best respects. I hadn't time to speak to him long. I saw him Friday evening before the battle and only had time to shake hands with him. Then I saw him again tuesday after the battle and hadn't time to speak to him long then as we were ordered off again immediately, but he told me he was well, and came out safe of the battle field and he sends you all his best respects. You must write to me soon and direct your letter as you did before.

Mr. John Garibaldi, care of Captain C.L. Haynes
Company C 27th Va. Infantry
Stonewall Brigade
Near Fredericksburg

John R. Hepler sends you all his best respects and he is well. I shall finish off writing by giving you to mother and Russia my best repects and remain your affectionate husband untill death.
John Garibaldi.

Subjects:

Chancellorsville (Va.), Battle of, 1863
Confederate States of America. Army—Virginia Infantry Regiment, 27th
Correspondence

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